PILL stems from Latin PILA or ball related to PILUS for hair (balls were made from peeled soften or PELted skin stuffed with hair). This array extends toward PELlet PILe and PILlage. Note how in English PELfer (fortune) has to do with PILfer (in Spanish PILlage and PILlo). Some may wonder if modern pharmaceutical corporations should be reminded that the PELfer they EARN from high priced pills may be considered a form of pilfer. In any case, it is unlikely that corporations are concerned about public opprobrium or PILlory.

Hirsute Eyebrows (synophris)

Romans were aware that PILL relates to PILUMNUS, one of the protectors of nurseries where diapers or PIL-USHKA in Ukrainian and PILLows are abundant.

Hair styles seek to allure

Another feature of a Roman home was the PESTLE and MORTAR, used to crush nutritious matter. In modern times, MORTARS became MORTAL weapons reminding us of MORS (death) and MARA (nightmares).

Dried plants for the Pestle

Crushing and heating matter are critical steps in chemistry and the manufacture of drugs. English parlance adopted DRUG from DRY and created DRUGSTORE along with CHEMIST for PHARMACIST. In Greek, CHEMIA and PHARICON link ideas of POISON with CHARM. To the ancients, medications that helped conjured ideas of CHARM and many others were POISON. Medications that POISON the unborn or cause Birth Defects are known as Teratogens. "Drug Store" in Greek is APOTHECA, a term that puts stress on dose and drug interactions ("apo" = portion and "tithenai"= mix). 

Early mythologies warn humans about drug toxicity and teratogenicity. The task of  Xolotl, an Aztec deity and twin sibling of Quezacoatl was to protect the malformed because they were considered to be divine messengers of godly displeasure. The Hindu Goddess Mrityu (death) reminds humans that they pollute and threaten the survival of this planet. Mrityu, arose from the fire ignited by the wrath of Brahma when he noted that too many people were burdening the earth. Perhaps, modern India needs to be reminded that Mrityu may be provoked again. 

Other illustrated overviews explore ideas in sleep, hypnotics, and alcohol as a teratogen. Another companion overview adds vistas to pestle, pest, pulse as in blow, as well as to stoke, apoplexy, mortal, mortar, mortgage and mortician.